Walking the battlefields

The Walk from Chunuk Bair down Rhododendron Ridge to the northern outposts gave the tour an appreciation of the difficulty of the terrain around this area of the peninsula.

Gallipoli terrain from Rhododendron Ridge

A bush fire several years ago reduced the vegetation, opened up the view and exposed parts of the landscape including old trenches. The vegetation has now grown back to about chest height which would have been its height at the time of the Anzac landing. Unlike the Anzacs most of us reaped the benefit of modern bush walking gear, fabrics that don't snag and tear when walking through this spiny shrubbery. The scenic walk included the sounds of a rich bird life, breath taking views and the smell of wild thyme which was all over the path and released its scent when it became crushed under foot.

Rhododendron Ridge walk

The photograph on the right was taken by Peter Rubinstein who managed to walk this path and take photographs even though he confessed to a fear of heights. Rhododendron ridge was given its name from the plant Arbutis (top left). Arbutis is a common plant on the peninsula and was often mistakenly called rhododendron by the Anzacs. We also found this exposed tunnel from the campaign.